Duck with roasted plum glaze and crushed swede

Method

1. Heat the oven to 170ºC fan/gas 5. Peel and roughly dice the swede into about 2cm pieces. Cook in a pan of salted boiling water for 20 minutes or until soft. Halve the sprouts lengthways and discard any undesirable leaves. Toss with a little oil, salt and pepper in an oven tray, then roast in the oven for 15 minutes.
2. Score the duck skin in 1cm lines, then put a frying pan over a medium heat and add the breasts skin-side down. Season the flesh with salt and pepper, then slowly cook until the fat has rendered out and the skin is even, crisp and golden. Once it is, flip the duck over and add the plum wedges, red wine vinegar, honey and 30ml of the chicken stock to the pan. Let the liquid bubble up to create a glaze and baste the duck with it for a minute. Transfer the duck (don’t wash the glaze pan) to the sprout tray and cook in the oven for 3-4 minutes for medium rare to medium, then leave to rest for 5 minutes before carving.
3. Add the rest of the chicken stock to the glaze pan, stir, then leave to bubble and thicken into a gravy. Taste and season with plenty of salt and pepper, then turn the heat right down to keep warm. Drain the swede, then mash with the butter, nutmeg and some salt and pepper. Divide between two plates and top with the duck, sprouts, plums and gravy.
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